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"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand"

My love of gelatin jello will eventually get a separate post but in the meantime, I spent this evening baking chocolate pudding chocolate chip cookies to bring to Fire Island with me tomorrow. Baking tends to be a cathartic ritual for me but tonight it was a bit more of a chore at almost 10pm.

My great aunt makes these amazing cookies that her grandkids identify as "mom mom's cookies" that I believe follow the same recipe as I will provide below but somehow, as with all things made by someone else with love and care, hers always taste better than anything I could make.
Once you mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients , it will create a very stiff dough (it actually broke the motor in my cheap hand mixer). You can use any flavor of instant pudding. This recipe will create a moist, more cake-like cookie.
INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla, chocolate or butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Mix the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pudding mix, and vanilla. Beat until creamy. Add the eggs and mix well. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop from teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes.